My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE. Ο ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΕΝ ΤΩ ΜΕΣΩ ΗΜΩΝ! ΚΑΙ ΗΝ ΚΑΙ ΕΣΤΙ ΚΑΙ ΕΣΤΑΙ.
ALL ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS ARE GIVEN A CROSS TO WEAR FOLLOWING THEIR BAPTISM FOR LIFE
"The Cross of Jesus Christ is the joy and boast of Christians. By the Cross we were saved and by the Cross the demons are put to flight. Wearing the Cross on our person is a fundamental and simple way to keep Christ in our daily life and to fight the influence of the devil."
Infants and adults who are baptized and chrismated in the Orthodox Christian Church receive a blessed gold Cross to be worn around the neck from the time of their Baptism to their departure from this earthly life. All Orthodox Christian must wear their Cross at every moment.
The cross is not merely jewelry or decoration for the Orthodox Christian, but the sign of the triumph of Jesus Christ over death and our belonging to Christ, Our King and God. The Cross is the fundamental symbol for the Orthodox Christian seen as an instrument of the world's salvation by the Crucified Christ.
When Orthodox Christians think of the crucified Christ, they think not only of His suffering and desolation, they think of Him as Christ the Victor, Christ the King, reigning in triumph from the Tree, Life-Giving Cross. As heard in the first exorcism that takes place before Baptism at the Narthex of the church:
"On the Tree He triumphed over the powers which opposed Him, when the sun was darkened and the earth was shaken, when the graves were opened and the bodies of the saints arose, By death He destroyed death, and brought to naught him who had the power of death."
The Orthodox Church teaches that Christ is the Victorious King, not in spite of the Crucifixion, but because of it: "I call Him King, because I see Him crucified" (Saint John Chrysostom). The Cross is the central symbol for Christians, not only as the instrument of the world's salvation by the crucified Christ, but also as the constant witness that one cannot be Christians unless they live with the Cross as the very content of their lives in this world. "If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me."
The Holy Cross is a symbol of the New Testament, victory over death, and the intercession of the heavenly and the earthly.
For these reasons Orthodox Christians place upon themselves the sign of the Cross. The Orthodox Christians place their first two fingers and thumb together to form a sign of the Triune God (The Holy Trinity) and cross themselves from the head to the breast and from shoulder to shoulder, right to left. This shows that the Cross is the inspiration, power and indeed the very content of Christian life; and that one's mind, heart, and strength must be given to the love God and man.
Through Holy Baptism we receive a full forgiveness of all sin; "we put on Christ," becoming members of His Body the Church. To be reminded of their Baptism, Orthodox Christians wear a small gold Cross, hung around the neck on a chain. The cross signifies the commitment of the bearer to uphold the Commandments and faithfully fulfill the holy words of Jesus Christ.
The most effective protection against the power of evil spirits is the image of the Holy Cross. We should teach our children this fact and encourage them to always wear the Cross over other pendants and jewelry.
It is a rule prescribed to Orthodox Christians by canonical regulation norms (canon law). Through the observance of this rule, the significance of the Cross as a symbol of Christian self-sacrifice sustains the religious self-identification of believers. In this act of confessing their faith, Orthodox Christians express their spiritual unity with the belonging to Christianity in pursuance of imperative based on the canonical understanding of the meaning of the Christian Cross.
The obligation for Orthodox Christian to wear a baptismal cross basically follows indirectly from Canon 73 and 82 of the Sixth Ecumenical Council (Synod) of Constantinople.
It is my fatherly request that all the Church (Sunday) School children wear a cross knowing how spiritually beneficial it is for them. By wearing a cross the child is protected from evil forces, it invites the grace of the Holy Cross of Christ, it brings His Divine blessing upon the child, it gives the child a sense that he or she belongs to Christ, that he or she has a special identity, that of a Christian, it is a reminder that Christ is always with him/her, it reminds the child that Jesus died on the Cross to save him/her, that Jesus Christ is our Only Savior and the True God. By wearing a cross the child feels the love of God and gives the child hope and strength to overcome any obstacle in his or her life.
It is up to the parents of our children to make sure that their son or daughter wears a cross i.e., the baptismal cross.
Thank you for your cooperation and for adhering to our Holy Orthodox Christian Tradition.
In Christ,
+Father George